Small town is tackling big issues

4 Ocean Ridge candidates tout their ability to deal with change

The buzzword in national politics is change, and that's also the case in the close-knit, seaside town of Ocean Ridge.

Handling development, preserving the environment and managing the budget are issues this election season.

The four candidates running for two open seats on the Town Commission have different levels of familiarity with the town.

Elisabeth Bingham has been on the commission for nine years, while Hans-Christian Kahlert has no political experience. Nancy Hogan has been on the commission for one three-year term.

Terry Brown, a member of the Board of Adjustment for more than nine years, decided to run for commissioner after retiring last year from the state Department of Children & Families. He has lived in the town for 16 years and wants to preserve its lifestyle.

"I've been very concerned about the threats to the character of Ocean Ridge," Brown said.

The town sensed the shock waves of growth through its neighboring town of Briny Breezes last year, where proposals to replace the mobile-home community included building 900 upscale condos. Most residents in Ocean Ridge opposed the development, a deal which later fell through. Brown attended Briny Breezes meetings to speak against the plans.

"This is a unique coastal community," Brown, 63, said. "It's low density, and that's the way we want to keep it."

Kahlert said while he was unhappy with the scale of the proposed Briny Breezes development, the town's staunch opposition damaged its relationship with Briny Breezes.

"I would like to not see that area changed at all, but that's not realistic," Kahlert said. "Negative and confrontational resistance doesn't get you very far professionally, because the developers can turn their backs on us completely."

Kahlert said he would use his experience as vice president of a property management firm to negotiate with developers if he were elected.

Kahlert, at 26, is the youngest candidate in the race, and he said he considers that an advantage.

"I think I have a lot more vested in the town now. For the others who are running, it's not their generation," Kahlert said. "It's time for a youthful interjection."

Kahlert has a family history in Palm Beach County. His father, Herb Kahlert, is the former county engineer who resigned in 1991 amid scandal over his land holdings and possible conflict of interest. Herb Kahlert was cleared by the Florida's Ethics Commission and has served on the Town Council in Hypoluxo.

"I am not a developer, and, most importantly, I'm not my father," Kahlert said. "I own nothing in Ocean Ridge and nothing in Briny Breezes."

As development stirs in the south end of town with Briny Breezes, the north end at the Boynton Inlet also could see changes.

Widening or dredging the waterway are some possibilities suggested by an engineering firm hired by Boynton Beach to make the inlet safer, but many in Ocean Ridge fear the construction and increased traffic will have a negative effect on the town.

"It would be terrible for Ocean Ridge," Brown said.

The other candidates agree, citing environmental issues such as effects on the protective grasses.

Bingham, 78, is known for her support of ecological issues. She supported building dunes to help protect against erosion.

"I feel that if a community is going to build, before they build, they need to know how they are going to support their infrastructure and how they are not going to adversely impact the environment," Bingham said.

Bingham said her many years of experience as a commissioner constitute an advantage, especially dealing with two major projects: an ongoing $6 million drainage project for the low-lying streets and the construction of the new $4 million Town Hall, scheduled to open in September. "Slowly, we've built toward the things that the citizens have wanted," Bingham said. "We have always run a very tight budget."

The town is on track to paying off the loans, Bingham said. The town had to take out about $200,000 from its reserves this year to balance the budget to handle the projects, Town Manager Ken Schenck said.

Hogan, 60, questions the town's money management.

"The town is in serious need of getting some good bookkeeping and financial control," Hogan said. "They have to know on a more timely basis how much they have and how much they spend."

Hogan cites her degree in business administration and experience as a certified public accountant as ways she can keep tabs on the budget. She said she wants to seek more bids for various projects and bring in a consultant for a few months to help manage town finances.

Hogan also said in the last budget session that she opposed additional raises for town officials and software expenditures for the Police Department, but she was voted down.

The other candidates also have financial experience. Bingham is a former banker, Kahlert has business experience and Brown points to his administrative experience for the state, where he handled a multimillion-dollar budget.